Viking Grace to be fitted with a rotor sail

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Viking Line and Norsepower have signed an agreement foreseeing the installation of the latter’s Rotor Rail Solution of the former’s dual-fuel (LNG) cruise ferry Viking Grace.

One mid-size rotor sail (24 m high, having 4.0 m in diameter) will be fitted onto the ship during 2018’s Q2. According to the companies, thanks to the new equipment Viking Grace will burn less fuel (approx. 300 tn of LNG/year), hence reduce its carbon emissions by some 900 tn/year.

The Rotor Sail Solution (which according to Norsepower can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships without off-hire costs) is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship. The solution is fully automated and senses whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel savings, at which point the rotors start automatically – optimising crew time and resource.

"As an organisation that strives to ensure that our fleet operates in an environmentally friendly and economical way, we are proud to be partnering with Norsepower. Our cruise vessel is the first to use a combination of alternative clean fuels, modern Rotor Sails, electric propulsion, and a hydrodynamically optimised hull. We believe in the Rotor Sail Solution technology’s ability to enhance our ship’s performance by enabling significant reductions in fuel burn and costs, as well as carbon emissions," Ulf Hagström, Senior Vice President, Marine Operations & Newbuildings, Viking Line, said.

Tuomas Riski, Norsepower’s CEO, added, "This project marks the first of its kind modern auxiliary wind propulsion technology installation on-board a cruise ferry. As a Finnish based clean technology and engineering company, we are proud to be partnering with yet another prominent shipping company as we work towards a modern era of auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime fleet, while supporting shipping’s transition to the low carbon economy."

Last year, Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution won the 2016 Innovation of the Year award at the Electric and Hybrid Marine World Expo in Amsterdam (Baltic Transport Journal’s Przemek Myszka serving on the jury panel, and voting for the Finnish company and its product).

In 2015, Viking Grace was also equipped with Climeon’s waste heat recovery system that converts hot water into electricity, giving in return 200 tn of fuel savings per year.